


Cappuccino

by cafe80s



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, coffee shop AU, phinjeet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-07-20 16:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16140983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafe80s/pseuds/cafe80s
Summary: Phineas works at the cool coffee shop in Danville, and starts getting a new regular customer.





	Cappuccino

**Author's Note:**

> listen, if nobody else is gonna make the phinjeet coffee shop au, I’ll do it myself. enjoy!

Chatter lightly filled the cafe as Phineas stood behind the till at Steam Noir. He’d received a job there after being a very regular customer and getting to know the manager well. She’d offered him a job and he was hired without even needing an interview. And now, a few years later, he knew the place even better and could make the perfect cappuccino.

Customers bustled between tables and the sound of cutlery tapping against crockery echoed through the cafe. It was a busy Tuesday morning; rain dampened the streets and the citizens that travelled on it. The early February chills still swept through the air, and people came in with large coats and woollen beanies.

A dark-skinned man in a navy coat holding a briefcase came through the door, and quietly made his way to the counter through the sea of customers. He sighed briefly when he got to the counter and looked up at the board above him. 

“Could I please get a cappuccino?” he asked.

The man hadn’t even looked at Phineas, but fished sone coins from his coat pocket, plus a slightly scrunched up dollar bill. “Sorry,” he said, pushing the money to Phineas. The man looked up as his hand slid across the countertop, and saw Phineas’s friendly face. 

“Did you want that to-go?” Phineas asked, smiling.

The man gazed at Phineas before answering. “Yes, please,” he said, nodding.

“What was the name there?”

“Baljeet. Do you need me to spell it?”

“B-a-l-j-e-e-t?” Phineas spoke as he wrote on the cup. 

“Perfect!” Baljeet said, smiling. He moved to the side and let other customers order, while looking around at the interior. It wasn’t his usual coffee shop; the one he would normally go to was closing down, and this was the closest one. He didn’t think it would be a permanent switch to this cafe. He thought he might try some more out before sticking to one.

But the guy at the counter was just so striking. He didn’t think he could come here once and just leave without another hot beverage.

“Cappuccino for Baljeet?” Phineas called, and Baljeet stepped back over to the counter. A warm paper cup with a plastic lid was handed to him and he smiled at Phineas. He dropped a few more coins into the tip jar on the bench before leaving the cafe.

__________________

“This bench is so sticky! How do we let this place get so dirty?” Phineas said, holding a wad of paper towels in one hand and a yellow spray bottle in the other.

He scrubbed hard at the bench and gave a sigh of relief when it was clean. “I’ll clean the tables too,” he said, leaving the till and wiping down tables. It was the next morning, and the weather outside had improved dramatically. The sun shone through the windows and he saw people walking on the street with smiles.

There was only a few minutes until the cafe had to open, but Phineas strode over to the door and flipped the sign that hung on the glass.

”Why’d you open?” He heard one of his coworkers call from the till.

”Nothing wrong with that, is there? There’s only a couple of minutes, anyway.”

Phineas fixed the black apron around his waist and his name badge that sat on the right side of his chest. A couple of customers came in and drinks were made for them by him.

A few more customers filed in, and then he saw him again. The man with the curly black hair, the briefcase and the navy coat. He entered the cafe with an expression that looked like it was trying to hide a grin.

Phineas moved across the counter and greeted him. “Hey! Baljeet, wasn’t it?”

”Oh! Uh, yes,” he said, a blush appearing on his cheeks. “Can I get a medium cappuccino to go?”

”Sure thing,” Phineas said, preparing his beverage. “What brings you back here?”

”Well, since my usual coffee place is closing its doors for good, I needed to find another place. This was the closest alternative, but I think it may become my new regular.”

”Well, I’m pleased to hear that,” Phineas said. “Did you like your drink yesterday?”

”Oh, yes,” Baljeet said, nodding. “It was most delicious.”

Phineas grinned, and put the plastic lid on the cup. He slid it across the bench. “Enjoy! Have a good day,” he said, picking up the coins Baljeet placed on the counter.

”You too!” Baljeet said as he picked up the cup and left the shop.

There was just something about this new customer that Phineas couldn’t ignore. Perhaps it was his vocal pattern, or the way he smiled. Either way, Phineas couldn’t help but think about him for the rest of the day.

_________________

”I’ve been meaning to ask,” said one of Phineas’s coworkers, Adyson, as he took off his apron. “What’s with that new customer that you served this morning?”

Phineas folded up his apron slowly. “He’s a new regular. His old cafe shut down so he’s coming here now.”

”You two sure seem to like each other.”

”Well, he’s friendly,” Phineas said. “Friendly customers are the best. Have you ever met someone who’s annoyed because you’ve given them exactly what they’ve ordered?”

Adyson chuckled. “Every middle-aged white woman ever.”

Phineas chuckled too. “Yeah. But Baljeet isn’t like that. He’s… I dunno, there’s just something about him.”

Adyson smirked and raised an eyebrow.

Phineas blushed, but scoffed to brush it off. “Okay, maybe there is a chance that I like him. But just… let me serve him? I mean, since he’s _my_ regular.”

”Alright,” Adyson said. “Come on. It’s hometime.”

Phineas sighed with relief. It had been a long day.

_________________

Baljeet smoothed down his coat before entering Steam Noir. It was his third day in a row here, and the red-headed man behind the counter kept bringing him back. Well, his well-made cappuccinos too.

He opened the swinging glass door and stepped inside, the scent of sweet coffee filling his nose.

Phineas smiled widely at him as soon as he was in sight, and moved to the empty space on the counter. “Hey! How are you?” He asked as Baljeet approached the counter.

”I am well, thank you. How are you?”

”I’m great!” Phineas grinned. “Medium cappuccino to go?”

”Yes!” Baljeet said. “It looks as though my order is already imprinted into your memory.”

”Oh, uh… yeah,” Phineas said, blushing slightly. He glanced over at Adyson who chuckled sneakily.

Baljeet looked at the baked confections on the countertop as he waited for his drink. His wandering thoughts were interrupted by Phineas’s soft voice.

”So, what do you do for a living?”

Baljeet’s attention snapped back to the barista. “Oh! I am a college professor at Tri-State State.”

”Oh, that’s cool. What do you teach?”

”Physics.”

Phineas’s heart swelled. He had always loved physics. But he wanted to play it a little cooler. ”Aren’t you a little young to be a college professor?”

Baljeet laughed. “If I had a nickel for every time I had heard that one. I actually graduated high school very early. I wanted to pass my physics knowledge onto the sponge-like minds of college students.”

”Cool!” Phineas said. “It’s too bad you weren’t my college professor. He wasn’t nearly as passionate as you are.”

”Yes, it is a shame,” Baljeet said. “Do you enjoy physics?”

”Oh, yeah! It’s my favourite!” Phineas said, sealing the plastic lid onto the paper cup. He pushed it across the bench.

“Thank you,” Baljeet said, smiling. He checked his watch. “Oh! Got to run! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Phineas watched him walk out of the shop, and Baljeet smiled through the window as he walked down the street.

Adyson was smiling ear-to-ear. “You definitely like him.”

Phineas turned to face her. “I so do. I’ve fallen hard,” he sighed. “Physics!”

_________________

A week of cappuccino purchasing and more friendly conversation passed, and Baljeet had wanted to be around him more. It was the highlight of his mornings; being around Phineas was so fun and he wanted to get to know him more.

_How cliché. I have fallen in love with a man who works at a coffee shop and makes the perfect cappuccino._

Baljeet pushed the coins along the bench as Phineas made his signature beverage. “So, this may seem a little forward,” he began.

”I’m listening,” Phineas said softly, filling the paper cup.

“I was wondering if you wanted to… hang out? On Saturday?”

Phineas was slightly taken aback, but incredibly eager to say yes. “I… definitely! What were you thinking of doing?”

”Just… having coffee together? At a different coffee shop, maybe? I mean, just so that your other regular customers don’t see that you’re hanging out with me.”

”That’s pretty smart,” Phineas said. “Sure! How about the coffee shop on fourth street?”

”Yes! Shall we say… 2pm?”

”Sounds great,” Phineas said, grinning. “I’ll see you then!” He handed the warm coffee cup to Baljeet, and he left the shop with a soft smile.

”A date!” Phineas said to Adyson. “He asked me on a date!”

”Hang on, you don’t know if it’s a date. He could just think it’s a little friendly thing.”

”Adyson, he said that it may seem forward. That means it’s a romantic gesture. Have you seen Back to the Future? It’s what Lorraine says to Marty before she asks him to ask her to the dance.”

Adyson pushed her lips together. “Alright. But don’t expect a fairytale story!”

”I can’t,” Phineas said, grinning. “Gay fairytale stories don’t exist.”

_________________

Saturday morning rolled around quickly, and Phineas had no idea whether to dress up for the ‘date’ or not. Baljeet usually dressed nicely under his navy coat, but since it was the weekend he didn’t know if that would still be the case.

So, with lots of hesitation and nervous pacing around his room, Phineas threw on a black and white striped t-shirt, dark jeans and a khaki jacket. He checked his watch every two minutes hoping he wasn’t going to be late. He wanted to be exactly on time, because getting there early would have made him more anxious.

Phineas made his way to the coffee shop and saw that Baljeet was walking toward the shop from the other direction.

Baljeet smiled nervously as he saw Phineas, and walked through the door as his ‘date’ held it open. “Thank you,” he said, smiling and nodding at Phineas slightly.

“Hey, how are you?” Phineas asked as they slowly made their way to the counter.

”I am great, thank you. How about you?”

“I’m great too. What can I get you?”

”Oh!” Baljeet was surprised that Phineas was offering to pay, but didn’t want to argue. “A cappuccino, if you do not mind.”

”Is that all you drink?”

”Well, I have tried other drinks, but I always go back to this one. It is a nice beverage.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Phineas went over to the counter and greeted the barista. “Hey, can I get two medium cappuccinos, please?”

”Sure thing,” the barista said. “To go?”

”Uh, have here, thanks.”

The barista smiled in acknowledgement, and began making the two coffees. Phineas slowly stepped back towards Baljeet and put his hands in his jean pockets.

”So, what do you think of this cafe?”

”To be honest,” Baljeet lowered his voice and leaned toward Phineas, “it is not as nice as your place.”

”I agree,” Phineas said. “Let’s just enjoy each other’s company.”

The barista pushed the two cappuccinos toward Phineas on the bench. The two men took their drinks and tiptoed between chairs to a table near the back of the cafe.

”Nice and quiet back here,” Phineas said.

Baljeet smiled down at his cup and stirred slowly with his teaspoon.

”Listen, I hate to be confronting,” Phineas said quietly. “But I was just wondering why you invited me out.”

Baljeet looked up from his milky drink. “Well, I wanted to get to know you better. This just seemed like the perfect way. And we cannot have a lengthy conversation at 8 in the morning when I am on my way to work and you are at the cafe.”

”You like having conversations with me?”

”Yes!” Baljeet said. “In fact, I very much look forward to getting coffee in the morning now because of you.”

Phineas blushed and tried to hide the smile growing on his face. “I’m glad you like me.”

”I am glad you like me too,” Baljeet said. “You do like me back, don’t you?”

”Yes, yes I do. You’re nice to talk to. And the fact that we share one of my favourite interests is great.”

”Oh, physics,” Baljeet said. “Of course.”

”Yeah. What else do you enjoy?”

”Well, it is a little bit childish, but I have a vast knowledge of the Space Adventure film franchise,” Baljeet said. “When I was slightly younger, I was the only sixtieth-level Space Adventure trivia master in the world.”

”No way, that’s insane! I used to love Space Adventure!” Phineas exclaimed. “Once I met Clive Addison when I went to the science fiction and fantasy convention. I dressed up as Lump Sharpfork for that.”

”Really? I went to one of those conventions too! I dressed as an Almordian venk sloth.”

”That’s so cool! Wow, I should really re-watch those films. I forgot how good they were.”

”I have a whole box set of them,” Baljeet admitted, taking a sip of his drink.

”All 19 of them?”

Baljeet nodded, smiling. “I have had several marathons.”

”Oh, me too,” Phineas said, also taking a sip of his drink. “Who hasn’t?”

”I know, right?” Baljeet grinned. “What else do you like to do?”

”I like drawing,” Phineas said, setting his mug back onto the saucer. “I’m not the greatest, but I do sketches every so often.”

”Wow! What kind of things do you like to draw?”

”Eh, a bit of everything. Mostly people, or platypuses.”

”Platypuses? Or… platypi?”

”Yeah. I had a pet platypus named Perry when I was younger. He didn’t do much, but he was one of my best friends. I drew him a lot as a younger kid and I eventually got better, I guess.”

Phineas lost track of the time while he was with Baljeet. A good couple of hours passed before he realised how much time had gone by.

”Gosh, it’s 4pm. Man, that went by so quickly!”

”Oh, do you have somewhere to be?” Baljeet said, disappointment in his words.

”No, no, it’s okay. It’s alright. I don’t have to be anywhere.” _Thank God._

The two stayed for another couple of hours. The cafe staff didn’t seem to mind that they had been there for almost four hours.

Baljeet checked his watch. “I think I might have to go. Sorry.”

”Oh, no problem. I really enjoyed hanging out with you. Uh, if it’s not too weird… do you reckon I could get your number?”

”Oh!” Baljeet let out an expression of delight. “Yes, that is perfectly fine.” The two swapped phones and inserted their numbers.

”Thanks,” Phineas said. “I’ll text you at some point. If you’d like to do this again?”

”Sure!” Baljeet said. “I will let you know if I am available.”

The two men stood up from their table, put their coats on and headed out the front door. The chill of the February wind had been very different to the warm air-conditioning inside the cafe. Phineas found himself moving very closely to Baljeet for some more body heat.

”It was nice getting to know you better,” Phineas said, smiling at Baljeet and looking into his deep brown eyes.

”You too,” Baljeet said, softly smiling back. “I will see you on Monday then?”

”Yeah,” Phineas said, remembering there would be a whole day he wouldn’t get to see him. ”See you then!”

“Yes. And thank you for today. I very much enjoyed it.”

They locked eyes for a second and said their goodbyes, parting ways and travelling home in their opposite directions.

_________________

Phineas sighed with a mix of emotions when he got home. At least now he had a piece of Baljeet that he would have all the time. _His phone number._

Was it too early to call already? It had only been 26 minutes since they last saw each other, and their time together had been substantial.

Phineas didn’t want to seem desperate or needy. He just wanted to spend more time with Baljeet because he was so fun to be around.

The day without Baljeet was quiet and lonely. Phineas spend his day off watching Spanish soap operas and wishing he was one of the characters in love with the other.

It was painful for him. He had no idea if Baljeet liked him back in that way. He knew that Baljeet liked spending time with him, but he had no idea if it was in a friendly or romantic way.

On the Monday morning, he made his way to Steam Noir, eager to see Baljeet again. He cleaned the tables and benches and tidied up the displays of confections in his wait.

He wandered over to the front door and flipped the sign at exactly 7.30am. It would be 23 minutes before Baljeet came back.

A very long 23 minutes.

A few customers bought the first coffees of the day, and sat in the cafe to drink them, shielding themselves from the still-frosty February air. The cold weather showed no signs of subsiding. This year was colder than the rest.

The bell on the door jingled as it opened. Phineas looked up and saw Baljeet holding his briefcase, wearing his navy coat.

Phineas checked his watch. “You’re early!”

Baljeet smiled shyly. “I wanted to see you.”

”Huh, me too,” Phineas replied. “I was pretty eager to see you this morning.”

”I suppose we both were,” Baljeet said, sliding some coins toward Phineas, and placing an extra five dollar note into the tip jar.

”So,” Phineas began as he started making Baljeet’s cappuccino. “How was your weekend?”

”It was nice. Seeing you on Saturday was especially nice.”

Phineas smiled. “You too.”

Adyson looked over at the two, and smiled. She was happy for Phineas. She had known him for years, and now that he had found his soulmate it was a proud moment for her. Her heart swelled.

Phineas closed the lid on the cup, and Baljeet hung around the counter. “I have time to stay for a while. That is why I came in early.”

”That’s sweet of you. So, what are you teaching today?”

”I am discussing the theory and physics of time travel with my students.”

Phineas’s eyes widened. “Time travel?”

”Yes,” Baljeet said. “I will talk about different films with time travel and then discussing how it actually would work.”

”So like… Back to the Future versus Meet the Robinsons?”

”Exactly!”

“Oh, I so wish I could be there,” Phineas said, fiddling with the shiny plate on the coffee machine.

”Actually,” Baljeet said. “I could give you a one-on-one session and we could discuss it together.”

”Huh, like another date?” Phineas blurted out. As soon as he had realised what he said, he went red and dipped his head slightly.

Baljeet seemed as if he was trying not to giggle. Phineas lifted his eyes back to Baljeet and gave a sheepish expression.

”Oh, God, I didn’t--”

Baljeet let his laughter out. “Do not worry, Phineas. It is okay.”

“It is?”

”Yes,” Baljeet said. “I also thought the first one was a date. A very long first date, too.”

Phineas sighed with relief and chucked. “I’m… oh my goodness,” he said, realising what Baljeet had said. “You really thought it was a date? And neither of us knew that we both did?”

”I suppose so,” Baljeet smiled. “But really. How about that second one?”

_____________________

”Baljeet texting you again?” Adyson said as she heard Phineas’s text noise. “Isn’t he supposed to be lecturing?”

Phineas checked his phone and smiled. “No,” he said, looking back up at Adyson. “He finished his last lecture at 2.”

Another week had passed, and the couple had gone on two more dates. One was the time travel discussion, and the second was dinner at a nice restaurant. They had gone back to Baljeet’s apartment afterward to have dessert and watch a film together.

”He makes a good lava cake, by the way.” Phineas said, remembering the gooey chocolate.

”You’ve said that one already. Twice.”

”Oh, I can’t help it, Adyson.” Phineas said. “He’s just… perfect.”

“I admire your newfound romance,” she said sternly, “but it would be nice if you could serve customers instead of daydreaming about your boyfriend and pretending to clean the counter.”

Phineas’s attention snapped back to the cafe. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Okay, I’ll… clear tables.” He weaved through tables and picked up spare plates and cups. He smiled at customers and made small talk about coffee as he cleaned.

”Old people love talking about how cheap coffee used to be,” Phineas said to Adyson as he returned to the counter. “Five cents! You can’t even buy one tenth of a coffee for that now.”

He heard the bell on the door chime, but ignored it, as he thought it was likely a customer leaving or coming in.

”Phineas!”

The familiar voice made him twist violently around to see Baljeet walking up to the counter. He grinned.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was wondering if you wanted an afternoon off,” Baljeet said, looking hopeful.

“I finish at 3, so…” Phineas checked the time. “Yeah!”

"I will hang around until then, since it is only fifteen more minutes."

”That’s cool,” Phineas said. “Just remember that I’m at work so I can’t chat to you the whole time.”

”Oh, that is okay. We have a whole afternoon of time together.”

”Hey, don’t worry,” Phineas said. “These next few minutes are gonna go so quickly.”

”Would you like a drink in the meantime?” Adyson asked.

”I have already had a coffee today… maybe just a green tea?”

”Sure thing,” Adyson said, fixing his beverage. He waited around the counter and admired the whole aesthetic of the cafe as Phineas bustled between tables, receiving compliments and tidbits about coffee.

Phineas came back to the counter at two-minutes-to-three and untied his apron, pulling it off and then folding it.

”You need me to do anything before I leave?” He asked, wondering if he could fill in his last 1 minute and 34 seconds.

”Nah,” said Adyson. “You can go, don’t worry. Have fun!”

”Alright!” Phineas stepped out the back to retrieve his belongings. He came back out smiling, and walked out of the cafe with Baljeet. ”So, what are we doing?”

”I was wondering if you would like to walk around the city? It’s something I have wanted to do for a little while but wanted to do it with somebody else.”

Phineas smiled. “Sounds like fun!”

As they walked down the street, Phineas found himself taking Baljeet’s hand in his own. Neither of them said anything about it, but kept their hands clasped with each other.

They wandered through thrift shops, furniture shops and even past the Flynn-Fletcher antique shop.

”Hey, that’s my parent’s antique store! I’d take you in there but everything’s kinda boring.”

The sun passed a thick clump of clouds, warming up the city a little more. Shiny leaves shone under the sunlight, and smiles appeared on more and more faces. It was proof that sunshine really did make a difference to people’s moods.

”How about the park?” Phineas asked, passing a row of trees and remembering that the park was near.

”Oh, sure!”

They entered the park, dew from the morning dampening their shoes. The park was nearly empty, except for a few brave kids playing soccer on the other side.

”Ah, I’m sorry. There isn’t really a lot here, is there,” Phineas said. “I dunno about you, but I’m kinda just in the mood to head home and watch some films.”

”That sounds good,” Baljeet agreed. “Away from the cold weather.”

”Exactly!”

They walked to Phineas’s flat, hands still clasped together. Phineas unlocked the door, and stepped into the small, yet roomy apartment.

“This is me,” Phineas said, slowly walking around the living area. “Do you want a hot cocoa or something?”

”That would be very nice, thank you.” Baljeet sat on the breakfast bar seat as Phineas made two hot cocoas.

”It’s funny not using a coffee machine for this. I’m so used to it, I guess I never really make drinks for myself at home.”

Within a minute, two frothy-top hot cocoas had been made, and the two sat on Phineas’s soft blue sofa in front of the TV.

”Right, let’s see what we’ve got…” Phineas said as he flicked through his film choices. Baljeet took a sip of his drink, a froth-moustache appearing on his top lip.

Phineas glanced over. “Hey, you’ve got a little something--” he wiped it with his index finger. Their eyes locked for a few seconds before they both leant in.

It was completely mutual. The softest of kisses between the two boys, and both of them thought it was perfect.

And it continued. The slow, soft kiss between them kept going and more intimate.

Baljeet broke away, much to Phineas’s confusion. “What?” He asked, wondering if he had done something wrong. “Did something happ--” 

”No, no, everything is perfect. I just wanted to put my drink on the table in case I spill it, that is all.” Baljeet leant over and placed his cup on the glass table, then smiled at Phineas. “I like you a lot, Phineas. And this was one of the best afternoons I have ever had. Even with the park.”

”Is it because of the kiss or are you just saying it?”

Baljeet placed a quick kiss onto Phineas’s lips. “I think you know.” He smirked, and the two continued kissing softly.

**Author's Note:**

> update: I was looking through the pnf tag on tumblr and found this great fanart! I’d like to thank the artist because I really enjoy this piece!!
> 
> http://ask-whitebag.tumblr.com/post/179320938322/that-is-a-very-good-fanfic-right-there


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